birdbox – Otley in Bloom

Bremner Street corner

Bremner Street corner was tidied up again this weekend. The condition of the corner was pretty good. Not too much litter (thanks, Otley), only about a bin bag full.

The majority of the work was to clear the name of the road, weed at the front of the corner and trim back those bushes which were growing onto the pavement. Behind the front bushes there was a bit of scrubbing up of small plants and a discussion on what to do with the laurels in the midst and the opportunity to plant another fine tree at the rear.

Lovely weather with small birds singing their hearts out. Thanks to everyone for turning up and helping.

We put out new bird boxes in the winter and that is one of the reasons the birds were singing.

Bremner Street corner last got a tidy-up in July 2017.

Birdbox clean-up

We’ve been out cleaning and replacing our bird boxes, removing damaged ones and adding a few more. The great news is that every box had a nest in it. We have started using this new style with a metal sheet around the hole to prevent predation and a hinged lid so you can get inside them easily to clean them. Who wants to raise their young in a dirty nest?

Your job for the week is to clean out any bird boxes in your garden ready for the new season. Removing old nests and giving them a wash prevents the build-up of pests and diseases.

Putting up bird boxes

Towards the end of 2012 we purchased ten bird boxes from a local social enterprise, “YORLEX”, who provide activities and life skills for adults with learning and other disabilities. We chose two types: the usual ones which attract birds such as coal tits and and great tits, and ones with open fronts for birds such as robins. Eight of the boxes have so far been placed in town, mainly in locations where OIB have previously been working. There is also now a plan to place another ten in the local parks, Memorial Garden and other town centre locations.

Bird boxes up in town

Towards the end of 2012 we purchased ten bird boxes from a local social enterprise “YORLEX” who provide activities and life skills for adults with learning and other disabilities. We chose two types, the usual which attract birds such as Coal and Great Tits etc. and ones with open fronts for birds such as robins. Eight of the boxes have so far been placed in town mainly in locations where OIB have previously been working. There is also now a plan to place another ten in the local parks, memorial garden and other town centre locations.